Epson Home Cinema 3010 Projector - Image Quality 3

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Art Feierman

Shadow Detail Performance

The ability to resolve dark shadow detail is better than average for a projector in this class. Mind you, the blacker the blacks, the harder to see the darkest near black detail. Still as you look at the images below, you will find more dark shadow detail in the shrubs and trees on the back right, than on most of the other images. Overall, good shadow detail performance, not as good as a few projectors with much worse black level performance. Shadow detail won't disappoint anyone.

Shadow Detail Performance Comparision

Epson Home Cinema 3010

Optoma HD33

BenQ W1200

Viewsonic Pro8200

Mitsubishi HC4000

BenQ W6000

Sony VPL-HW30ES

Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: Home Cinema 3010 Projector - Bottom Line

The Home Cinema 3010 is typical in terms of black levels, for under $2000 projectors. That said, there are a couple of projectors around $2000 that can do substantially better, the Panasonic PT-AE4000 and the Epson 8700UB. Both of those, however, are being discontinued for 3D capable projectors, the PT-AE7000 and Epson's Home Cinema 5010, and both of those are in the $3000 range.

All considered, the Epson does rather well against 2D only projectors in the same price range, and offers blacker blacks than the Optoma HD33, the only other 3D 1080p projector near the price.

Mind you 3D performance of black levels isn't as good, as the dynamic iris doesn't operate in 3D, but as 3D is inherently no more than about 25% of the brightness of 2D, few are concerned about 3D black levels. Everyone else is worried about dim pictures with 3D. In the case of the Epson, you'll have good 3D brightness, and since it's not way bright, you aren't likely to care about the blacks. And that's quadruply true if you are in a family room environment.

In other words, the Epson you have to consider the Epson to have shadow detail and black levels nicely under control.